From Hell to 7th Heaven for China

Trailing badly, Zhu-Cheng nail final dive to deliver team's 7th straight 10m synchro title

- Kimberly Kwek

Zhu Zifeng and Cheng Zilong knew China's winning streak dating back to 2015 was on the line when they stepped onto the platform at the OCBC Aquatic Centre for the final dive of the men's 10m synchronised final on July 29.

A poor fourth dive meant they needed a massive effort to deliver their country's seventh diving gold at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, as they trailed Russian neutral athletes Nikita Shleikher and Ruslan Ternovoi.

Under full pressure, they duly nailed it, scoring 90.72 to claim the gold by just 0.93 of a point and ensure China's continued dominance.

Zhu and Cheng bagged the title with 429.63 points against the Russians' 428.70 while the United States' Carson Tyler and Joshua Hedberg (410.70) rounded off the podium. Singapore's Max Lee and Ayden Ng were 18th of 20 in the preliminaries with 300.09 points and did not make the eight-pair final.

Cheng said: "There was pressure before the last dive. But it was more about maintaining a normal mindset because by doing that, you actually better control your body's movements and are able to perform your skills well."

Things appeared to be going according to script in the opening three rounds, with China looking on track to secure their seventh straight world title in the event.